Cloth diapers? I think NOT!

I've seen a lot of posts on other boards about women using (or planning to use) cloth diapers for their babies. I'm sure it saves a lot of money (diapers ARE expensive), but I just changed my niece's diaper and her surprise traveled from the bottom of her navel to the top of her butt. She's 6 months old and it was a soft poop, so it really did travel. I can't imagine washing that off, washing her off AND washing the diaper. I used diapers with my daughter and it was so convenient to just change the diaper, clean her off and toss it in the diaper genie. I don't have the patience to deal with the maintenance of cloth diapers. Is anyone else cloth diapering, or intend to?

Comments (52)

i dont know that i have the patience to deal with cloth either-especially since i dont have my own laundry facilities-either i would be lugging them to the laundromat every 2-3 days or having to wash them in the community laundry room (which im sure my neighbors would just LOVE lol). either way, it would cost me an arm and a leg in laundry money. id rather just spend the money on disposables rather than the washer and dryer and not have to deal with the hassle. i know people that have done cloth and kudos to them, but its definitely not for us at this point. maybe if i had my own washer and dryer-well technically i have a washer but we dont have in-unit hookups so its just sitting in my parents basement until we have a place to hook it up-i might think a little differently. i know cloth works great with breastfed babies as breastmilk poops are water soluble until they start eating solids so you dont even have to rinse the diaper out-just toss it in the wash.

It's not like you would wash the diaper right at that moment you change the baby.
You wash them all together.
It's pretty easy as pp has mentioned with bf babies.
You change it the way you do a normal diaper and put another one on.
If its solid poop just put it in the toilet and flush I mean you wipe your own adult poop off yourself so I don't think baby poop is that big of a deal. Lol
I am cloth diapering and have helped others cd. It's cheap, it's better for the environment, less chemicals on baby, and lets face it so much cuter!

So the stinky diapers just pile up until you're ready to wash them? I don't think I could handle that so I'd be washing ALOT. And of course I would wipe the baby, but that's a given. Everyone wipes after a poop, be it in a toilet, a diaper or a cloth diaper. And what chemicals are you referring to? Other than baby wipes, I don't have to put any chemicals on the baby. Unless they have a diaper rash. But they could get a diaper rash with cloth diapers too, so I'm still not convinced lol I guess what works for some just wouldn't work for others. I personally don't mind spending the money on disposables vs. repeatedly washing cloth diapers.

Money wise it's a smart choice. I too have considered using cloth diapers for this one but we live in an apartment with a community laundry room. I can NOT have stinky diapers stinking up our apartment until I can get to the laundry. Convenience trumps cost in my opinion.

@lovely thats my problem too. and really it isnt even a smell issue for me as i would be washing them every 2-3 days tops so its not like they would be sitting around all week, but its more a matter of the cost of an extra few dollars a load in quarters every couple days just to wash diapers. i would likely spend more money in washing than i would save by using cloth over disposable. its about $3/load to wash and dry here, even if i only did the diapers every 3 days, thats still 10x per month so $30/month in washing. i could buy 3 bags of huggies or pampers for that (maybe 4 if i use the store brands). not counting the extra laundry soap i would go through. and while i could do the laundry at my moms or my inlaws, they both live 20-25 minutes away so i would spend more in gas driving over there to do them every 3 days than i would save in laundry money and would still be more expensive than the disposables.

I had thought of using cloth for my son, but we had that problem. Lived in an upstairs apartment, and I couldn't get my son, the laundry and this giant thing of detergent all the way over to the laundrymat all by myself. They didn't have even one parking space near the laundry. They expected us to walk. So that didn't happen!

But now that we have our own washer, we are going for it this time! I should be spending less than $200 on diapers (cuz I'm mega thrifty) and that equals about 4 months of disposables! But babymccray2014, the chemicals she was reffering to are in the diaper itself, not in what you put on the baby. youd be amazed at how many harmful chemicals are in disposable diapers and wipes! But, no putting down. I did that with my son and he had rashes alllllll the time. Another reason I'm switching.

I was a pampers mom with my DD and I can count on one hand how many times she got a rash. Some babies can't wear certain brands of diapers. I understand why people resort to cloth, but I wouldn't be able to tolerate the smell or handle all the washing (I too would have to tote baby and my DD and diapers every few days because I don't have a washer/dryer at home). For me, its just more convenient. But kudos to the moms who have the patience to do it! I'm sure you do save a lot of money!

I will be cloth diapering - I have helped cd multiple kids, and it's really not that difficult. You rinse them in the toilet, tub, sink - whatever. Then have a bucket filled with a cleanser or just water, then throw then in the washer.

If you have a service, it's easier! The provide and wash all the diapers. You rinse them, place them in a bucket and they pick it up 2-3x a week and leave fresh ones.

There are a great deal of cloth diaper services, and most are pretty good prices, you just look them up by your city and find out, we will be CDing. I grew up doing it with my cousins, and that was before the age of 12, I know it can be done by busy moms, it is not that bad if you have your own laundry then every couple, few days. If you do not then, you use a service, you can even taper down how many you use as the baby gets older.

Also if you are worried about poopy diapers here is a great gadget I found that we will be getting, it hangs the dirty diaper in your toilet for rinsing and cleaning.

Much better and pleasant that the sprayer, which just grosses me out, I imagine it going all over the place. The "Diaper Duck" hangs them suspended in the water you can let is soak flush and rinse with no touching them pull it through the ringer and it comes out almost dry and throw it in the diaper pail.